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New MacBook Pro, new iMac: Apple unveils devices with M3 chips

31.10.2023

Translation: machine translated

Apple is replacing three of its chips surprisingly early. M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max are based on 3-nanometre technology. They are used in new versions of the iMac and the MacBook Pro.

On Tuesday night, Apple presented the MacBook Pro and iMac with a new generation of chips: Apple M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max make a leap in efficiency compared to their predecessors. Apart from the new chips, the MacBook Pro has been given a different colour: in addition to silver, it now also comes in black, but no longer in grey.

The M3 series chips are the first systems-on-a-chip (SoC) to be manufactured using the 3-nanometre process. This means that the transistors are smaller than ever before. Apple's head of hardware Johny Srouji called them a "technological breakthrough". The chips make the greatest progress in graphics performance, but the CPU is also significantly faster than before in some cases - without requiring more energy. You can find a deep dive into the new chips here:

Background information
A closer look at Apple’s M3 chips
by Samuel Buchmann

For the first time, Apple unveiled three performance levels at once: M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max. The Pro and Max chips in particular come surprisingly early, as their predecessors are not even a year old: The MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max was only launched in January 2023. The 14-inch version of the laptop is now available not only with M3 Pro and M3 Max, but also with the cheaper M3. In return, Apple is doing away with the 13-inch MacBook Pro - the last remnant of an old design generation with a touchbar.

Here is an overview of which new devices are available with which chips:

24" iMac: M3
14" MacBook Pro: M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max
16" MacBook Pro: M3 Pro, M3 Max

CPU: more efficiency thanks to smaller transistors

The individual performance cores of the M3 series are 15 per cent faster than their predecessor chips. The performance of the efficiency cores has even increased by 30 per cent. At the same time, the new chips do not require more energy. This leap in efficiency is possible thanks to the new 3-nanometre process, which enables smaller transistors.

In the keynote speech, Apple also drew comparisons to Windows laptops with conventional x86 chips. In the usual highly simplified graphics, the Californians claimed that the CPU of the M3 chips only needs a quarter of the energy for the same performance as an Intel Core i7-1360P in an MSI laptop. The GPU even only a fifth.

The Californians promise that the M3 chips are many times more efficient than comparable chips from the Windows world. Apple's graphics are notorious for their unclear test scenarios.
Source: Screenshot Apple Keynote

GPU: with dynamic caching and ray tracing

The GPU of the M3 series utilises the chips' unified memory more efficiently than before. Instead of reserving the same amount of memory for each task as usual, the M3 SoCs calculate the amount of memory required for each individual task in real time - and only allocate exactly the same amount. According to Apple, this leads to dramatically higher performance in applications that require a lot of graphics memory.

The new «Dynamic Caching» is designed to use memory more efficiently than the old method.
Source: Screenshot Apple Keynote

The M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max are also the first Mac chips to support hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The technology can calculate complex lighting effects, which ensures realistic shadows and reflections in games. Overall, the M3 graphics cores are said to have up to 1.8 times more rendering performance than the M2 series.

Cores: greater gradation between Pro and Max

Like its predecessor, the normal M3 has 8 CPU cores (4 Performance and 4 Efficiency), 10 GPU cores and up to 24 gigabytes (GB) of unified memory. The memory bandwidth remains at 100 GB/s. In the cheapest version, the M3 only has 8 graphics cores and 8 GB of RAM.

There are more changes in the two other chips. The M3 Pro seems to be designed primarily for progress in terms of energy efficiency - not for more performance. Although it has 12 CPU cores like its predecessor, the ratio of performance and efficiency cores is different to the M2 Pro. While the old chip had 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, the new one has 6 each. The GPU even has one core less than the M2 Pro, namely 18. Thanks to the higher performance of the individual cores, it should still be ten per cent faster.

In contrast to the old M2 series, the Max stands out more from the Pro in the M3 family of chips. While the Pro seems to be designed for a good balance between performance and efficiency, the Max is fully focussed on performance.
Source: Apple

In contrast to the M3 Pro, the M3 Max is fully focussed on performance. It stands out much more from the smaller chip than before. The CPU has 16 cores, including 4 efficiency cores and a full 12 performance cores. That's four more than the M2 Max. The GPU also has more cores - it now has 40 instead of the previous 38. Apple promises up to 50 per cent more processor performance and 20 per cent more graphics performance.

The unified memory of the basic versions of the two large chips is slightly larger. It is at least 18 GB for the M3 Pro and 36 GB for the M3 Max. A maximum of 128 GB can now be configured. Here is an overview of the specifications of the new chips:

MacBook Pro: new entry-level model, new colour

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is now also available with the normal M3 chip. This replaces the old 13-inch entry-level model, which Apple is finally dropping from the range. It was the last device of an old design generation with a touchbar. The 14-inch MacBook Pro can also be configured with M3 Pro or M3 Max. The 16-inch version, on the other hand, is only available with the two more powerful chips.

According to Apple, the new MacBook Pro makes a significant leap in performance thanks to new chips.
Source: Apple

An overview of the prices of some of the new MacBook Pro models:

14" M3 (8 CPU, 10 GPU), 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: 1699 francs / 1999 euros
14" M3 Pro (12 CPU, 18 GPU), 18 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: 2589 francs / 2999 euros
14" M3 Max (16 CPU, 40 GPU), 48 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: 4019 francs / 4574 euros
16" M3 Pro (12 CPU, 18 GPU), 18 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: 2819 francs / 3229 euros
16" M3 Max (16 CPU, 40 GPU), 48 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD: 4249 francs / 4849 euros

Connections, features and design remain the same as the last model - with two exceptions: The MacBook Pro is now available in the colours "Silver" and in the versions with M3 Pro and M3 Max in "Space Black". The latter replaces the previous "Space Grey". Thanks to a special coating, it should not be susceptible to fingerprints despite the dark colour. The display of the new laptops has also become slightly brighter. It reaches 600 nits in SDR mode instead of 500 as before.

«Space Black» is the new colour of the MacBook Pro with M3 Pro and M3 Max. The laptop is also still available in silver. «Space grey» is only available for the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3.
Source: Apple

The models with M3 and M3 Pro chip will be available from next week. If you want an M3 Max, you'll have to wait until the end of November. You can find the devices here:

Switzerland [[marketingpage:30139]]

Germany [[marketingpage:30263]]

iMac: new chip, not a new size

The iMac is also getting an upgrade to the new chip generation. It is now available with M3. Anyone hoping for larger or more powerful models will be disappointed. The iMac still only comes with a 24-inch display and cannot be configured with M3 Pro or M3 Max. The design and other specifications are also unchanged. There is not even an update of Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard to USB-C. They still have the old Lightning connector.

Apple gives its all-in-one computer a new chip and leaves everything else as it is.
Source: Apple

Prices for the M3 iMac start at 1349 francs or 1599 euros for the model with 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. It will be available from next week. You can pre-order it here:

Switzerland [[marketingpage:30256]]

Germany [[marketingpage:30264]]

Editorial note: You are reading the news from the night shift shortly after the Apple keynote. In the coming days and weeks, you will find further articles on the new chips as well as detailed reviews of the new devices. Until then, feel free to ask questions in the comments. I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Cover image: Screenshot Apple keynote

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Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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New MacBook Pro, new iMac: Apple unveils devices with M3 chips

A closer look at Apple’s M3 chips

CPU: more efficiency thanks to smaller transistors

GPU: with dynamic caching and ray tracing

Cores: greater gradation between Pro and Max

MacBook Pro: new entry-level model, new colour

iMac: new chip, not a new size

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A closer look at Apple’s M3 chips

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